The invention relates to a storage apparatus for storing goods conveyed along a conveying section from an entry station to an exit station.
A storage apparatus of the generic type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,724. A conveying belt is guided in loop form around a plurality of deflecting rollers arranged in a conveying plane. Some of the deflecting rollers are arranged in pairs on carriages which can be displaced in the conveying plane. This makes it possible to form storage and idle strands, it being possible for the length of the latter, and thus the capacity of the store, to be changed by virtue of the carriages being displaced. This storage apparatus requires a relatively large amount of space.
DE-A-42,24,609 describes a conveying apparatus for cigars in the case of which a conveying belt is conveyed in two concentric helixes arranged with the same pitch about a common vertical axis. In order to change the length of the conveying section, there is provided a bridge element which connects the two helixes, and thus bridges the conveying section, and can be displaced relative to the two helixes. The helical arrangement does indeed save space, but has the disadvantage of the necessary belt crossover, which always involves the risk of the position and spacing between the goods transported being changed.
Further storage apparatuses, which all nevertheless also have belt transitions, are known, for example, from DE-A-198,56,649, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,152,291, 4,549,647 and CH-A-690,646.
The object of the invention is thus to provide an improved storage apparatus of the type mentioned in the introduction which is space-saving and nevertheless does not require any belt crossovers.
This object is achieved by a storage apparatus having the features of patent claim 1.
This storage apparatus according to the invention has a carriage, which can be displaced along a conveying plane, with deflecting rollers for subdividing an endless conveying means into a storage strand and an idle strand. The invention provides first deflecting means, which deflect the idle strand from the conveying plane into a parallel plane spaced apart therefrom, and second deflecting means, in order to transfer the deflected idle strand, in turn, into said conveying plane or some other conveying plane into a storage strand.
Since the idle strand thus runs in the conveying plane and, as it were, on the rear side thereof, it is the case that, with maximum storage capacity in the conveying plane, no additional space is required for the idle strand. Furthermore, this arrangement allows high flexibility in the geometrical configuration of the storage apparatus. In particular, it is possible for the storage apparatus to be arranged in one plane or in a helical manner. Furthermore, it is advantageous that, even in the case of a helical arrangement, no belt crossovers are necessary.
In a preferred embodiment, the conveying means is an endless plate link chain. This has the advantage that cavities for accommodating piece goods which are to be transported may be arranged on it. In addition, it allows straightforward guidance.
In a further preferred embodiment, the conveying means, preferably a plate link chain, is only guided on one side in the region of the deflecting rollers, in order to simplify the deflection, with the result that it is possible to operate at relatively high speeds.
Further advantageous embodiments can be gathered from the dependent patent claims.